Syracuse University Public Affairs 101 at WHS

Syllabus, Fall 2011

Welcome to Project Advance Public Affairs. This course is offered by Mr. David Busch, an Adjunct Professor of the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. He has been trained by Professor William D. Coplin - Director of the Public Affairs Program, College of Arts and Sciences at the Maxwell School.

Part of your grade for this course is determined by submitting selected materials to Professor Coplin for review and grading.  At Syracuse University, PAF 101 fulfills a social science and critical reflection requirement for the College of Arts and Sciences core.  This course also fulfills the New York State requirement for Participation in Government, and can earn you 3 credits through Syracuse University.   

PAF 101: Introduction to the Analysis of Public Policy (PAF 101) introduces you to basic skills of public policy analysis. To successfully fulfill the requirements of this course you will:

1)         Define and identify the components of public policy issues.    

2)         Communicate ideas and findings with respect to public policy issues.

3)         Collect information on public policy issues. 

4)         Use graphs, tables, and statistics to analyze public policy.

5)         Examine the use of surveys and informal interviewing procedures.

6)         Identify a social problem and come up with a proposed public policy to deal with it.               

7)         List the benefits and costs of a proposed public policy.

8)         Forecast the impact of your policy on societal conditions.

9)         Analyze the political factors and develop strategies to implement a proposed public policy.

10)     Identify essential features of major current public policy issues.

11)     Work in teams effectively.

12)     Make a difference in your local community by working with government or nonprofit organizations.

PAF 101 is divided into five parts. For each part, you will submit a module paper. The papers consist of exercises that you will download from the PAF 101 web page http://supa.syr.edu/paf101.  Each module must be typed following the correct format.  Absences, tardiness or poor participation in class will result in deductions from your module grades. Class time will be used for lectures, outside speakers, and group exercises.   

            Materials for this course will include the following:

1. Coplin, William D. The Maxwell Manual for Good Citizenship: Public Policy Skills in Action   Croton on the Hudson: Policy Studies Associates, 2007.
2. Coplin, William D.  How You Can Help: An Easy Guide to Doing Good Deeds in Your Everyday Life.  New York: Routledge, 2000

3. A binder for all completed assignments. 

4. Access to the New York Times and/or The Times Herald Record.  We will have access to one or both of these papers on a regular basis, and you can also download articles from www.NYTimes.com  or www.recordonline.com. 

Your grade in this class will be earned on a point system.  Modules downloaded from the Syracuse University site will make up a majority of your grade.  Additional assignments/quizzes will supplement Module grades. Your assignments are listed below.  Download Modules Here! http://supa.syr.edu/paf101 Interim reminders may be given. 

*The Skills exercise is an individual assignment and is due Tuesday January 10.* Each student must hand in a completed exercise.  This exercise can be found at http://www.buschistory.net/Government/projects  It is indicated as number 14.

MODULES ARE DUE BY 2:20 PM ON THE DATES INDICATED BELOW, EVEN IF YOUR CLASS DOES NOT MEET ON THAT DAY.  Dates below have been updated on 12/4

             Exercise Due                                   Due Dates                 Point Value

**Note: Module 1 contains an exercise called a TPE (Team Policy Exercise). It is actually a prerequisite to Module 1 and has specific due dates for each component.  This will be specifically addressed in class.

Work will be collected when the module is complete.  Individual exercises will not be collected, nor will they be checked for accuracy before the entire module is due.  It is imperative that you stay on top of your work. 

Late modules lose 25% credit for each day late to a maximum of 3 Days.  After 3 Days a grade of Zero (0) will be entered.  Excuses due to computer and printer problems are not accepted

 In addition to modules, the following are required for full credit:

Ø      A pre-test and post-test questionnaire completed during class, online, at the Syracuse website http://supa.syr.edu/paf101 -

Ø      5 hours of community experience – preferably in the area of your societal issue

Ø      Attendance at one Board of Education meeting, documented by a brief summary of policies enacted/discussed (Check the Washingtonville website for a list of dates and times)

Ø      A 15-20 minute final presentation summarizing your topic in lieu of a final exam

Ø      A summary report completed online at the Syracuse website

You must arrange a Guest Speaker as per the syllabus requirements.  This will be explained in class.

Students must hand in their own work.  Committees may hand in one paper per group. Collaboration in research is permitted as long as there is not even the slightest evidence of direct copying or paraphrasing. Collaborating students should not be using the same articles, websites, or books. Any similarity in wording between two papers, including a consistent case of the same sources will result in a zero for both papers.

By the end of the semester, you will hopefully gain skills that will benefit you as you move on to college.  Additionally, I hope you will become more aware of the societal issues that impact our community, state and nation.  Remember that your grade and success depends on your daily effort.  Public Affairs can be fun but you will get out of it only what you put in to it.